Chapter 44

Chapter 44—The surprise visitor

6:02 p.m., Tuesday, December 27

James continued to stare at Allison, seeking to divine her reaction, “Al, wait here, and I’ll check this out,” he said.
“Do it,” she said, reaching around under her jacket, momentarily resting the palm of her right hand on the grip of a five-shot hammerless Airlite Smith and Wesson .38 Special. “Don’t let them in until you report to me.”
“Right.”
James walked over to the door, and went out to see whom Reginald had brought to the meeting with him.
“Reg,” James inquired, “what’s this all about?”
“Sorry to spring this on you, especially on Al, but I had no choice.”
“What does that mean?”
“James, this is Jack, Jack Handler. He has been a trusted associate of mine for over a quarter of a century. I have never engaged in a big job without him.”
“But you knew the rules, Reg—Al did not even want us to talk to anyone about this, much less bring a stranger to a meeting.” James paused for a moment, and looked at Jack. “No offense, Mr. Handler, but we—Reg and I—had an agreement.”
“Jack is not a stranger,” Reg explained. “He goes way back. In fact, Al will remember him. Bob and she introduced him to me. They knew him from the Louisiana days.”
“Well, I will check this out with her. But even so, why is he here?
“If there is going to be one instrumental figure in this, it is going to be Jack. What we are doing here cannot be done without his total participation. At least, it can’t be done right. Jack has all the right contacts, and the right expertise …”
“Granted,” James interrupted. “But that does not explain why he is here tonight. Of course, we expect you to use the right people. But why is he here, and why didn’t we know in advance that you were considering this?”
“Fair question,” Reginald answered. “He needs to know who he is working with in this. He needs to know that we understand the gravity of what we are doing. That we are not going to leave him hanging out there, blowing in the wind.”
“And you could not convince him? … Isn’t he working for you?”
“Jack and I are working together, just like you and I are working together. He has never worked for me. And I will tell you something, if I were in his place, I would be doing the same thing. His life, his family, and his fortunes are on the line.  He stands to lose everything if any one of us drops the ball. I can assure you that it is not yet even a given that he will agree to work with us. We still have some selling to do. But I can promise you that he’s the best there is, and we need him.”
“And what if he decides he does not like us? What then?”
“Then he’s gone. When I tell you that he is the best there is, I mean it. He could have me put away for life in this country, and executed in half a dozen other countries. If I screwed with him, I’d be dead before dinner. So, when I tell you we need him, I mean just that. If we want this job to be done right, we need what he brings to the table. He can make things happen that no one else can.”
“We thought you were that guy, Reg,” James said. “Are you now telling me that we were wrong?”
“Not at all,” Reginald said. “But we need Jack, and he needs to know all of us. It’s that simple.”
“Give me a minute, I need to consult with Al,” James said, as he turned to walk back in the cottage.
Allison was waiting for him. “Hell, yes, I know Jack Handler. I thought he was dead. He’s supposed to be dead. And, yes, he was … is the best. I’m not happy with Reg for bringing him here unannounced. But we are fortunate to have someone of his caliber involved on our side. That sonofabi**h knows how to get stuff done.” Allison’s positive response to the new man surprised James.
“Shall I have them come in?” James asked, as he walked over to pick up the wand.
Allison did not immediately answer. Finally she said, “Yes, tell them to come in. He’s already here. Besides, that bastard has enough on both Bob and me to put us away too.”
James was visibly shaken by this whole transaction. He was uneasy not only because Jack was forced on the group by surprise, but also because he had never been aware someone like Jack was lurking in the shadows. He always thought that he was privy to everything that occurred on the scurrilous side of the Fulbrights.
Walking back out of the door, he closed it behind him. “We’re going to have to check you fellows out,” he said.
“I’ve already given Jack a heads up about this,” Reginald said.
James continued toward them with the wand. “Reg, could you move over a few feet, I want to get a good reading on your friend, first.” James then passed the wand up and down both of Jack’s legs, and over his torso. “We’re good here,” James said, taking a few steps to the side, and repeating the procedure with Reginald. “Okay, you’re both good. Let’s go in and see Allison.”
James opened the cottage door, and motioned for Reginald and Jack to go in ahead.
“Al, great to see you again,” Jack said as his eyes met Allison’s.
“Well, I can’t say that I’m really surprised to see you again,” she said, not smiling. “But I did not expect it to be at this meeting.”
“That’s my fault, Al,” Reg said. He knew he was operating from a very strong position. First of all, he had the money—all the money. There was nothing Allison, or any of the others could do about that at this point. Second, Reginald knew that Allison was well aware of Jack’s considerable credentials. Third, Reginald always did what he regarded as necessary. He never acted out of haste, or fear. In this case, he knew that Jack would not work with him without a good look at the whole group. And fourth, as far as that group was concerned, Reginald was the action figure—the others were thinkers and talkers. But, in the end, they were going to look to him to get the job done.
It was a fact—Reginald had every reason to feel good about his position in the group.
Plus, most important of all, Jack needed the opportunity to intimidate the other members—especially Steve and Jerry. They were the two about whom Jack had doubts.
Allison knew better than to go any farther with her complaint. She had said what she did to drive home the point for James’ benefit. She knew that as far as this meeting was concerned, she was no longer the boss. The eight-hundred pound gorilla that Jerry was alluding to at the previous meeting had become anthropomorphized. And his name was Jack Handler.
Just then Steve opened the door. Before he had taken two steps into the cottage, he took a long look at Jack. “Jerry, you sure as hell have changed. Did you get a face implant this time?” He paused, and then said, “Well, I suppose this means no hamburgers tonight, either.” He then waved a quick hand, turned and walked out of the cottage and was headed back to his car.
“I was afraid of this,” Allison said, walking after him. “Steve, hang on for just a moment.”
Steve had already taken a dozen steps toward his car. At first, he did not want to stop. Then he had second thoughts. He realized that if he left this meeting, right now, he would be killed before he reached his car.
“Al, what is this all about?” Steve said, turning to face Allison as she walked briskly toward him.